rickya

Thanks for the advice hagar

Following on from my disasterous test drive yesterday (see post I almost smacked the dealer one!) a couple of questions: 1) the car had an intermittent sound which the mechanic said was a normal sound of the engine. It was a metallic ringing kind of sound. Almost like there was a metal object scrapping around the underneath of the car. Is this a normal engine sound, the mechanic said it was. I dont remeber this in the car I test drove at Nissan Watford. 2)The clutch had little feel & then all of a sudden there was the biting point, very high up. The mechanic said all the 350z's he had driven all had a high up biting point. Finally this car was a 2003 JDM & it felt slightly more responsive especially at lower speeds & revs than the UK 2004 I test drove at Nissan Watford, though this may just be in my mind. Also the suspension was definetly stiffer & less absorbant on bumps & defects in the road. The UK model was definetly softer & soaked up the bumps & I think put down the power down with less fuss than the JDM. This may have been the reason why the JDM felt more powerful as it was tighter, firmer, & felt livlier. Apologies for these comments not being factual but just my opinions after a short drive & therefore may not mean much, others opinions greatly appreciated.

Nah,: put your savings in a mortgage & your wheels on finance!!

Oh dear. Your day gets worse lolololol There was one piece of good news though. On the way up there the estate agent rang & said the sale has been agreed on the flat I wanted to buy!!!! "So good things can come out from @*!# things" quote ricky 2006

did he stink of chip fat Chip fat & Lambda bread! Actually now that I think of it he looked more like Shmeegel!!

220 miles, Good job you haven't got a zed would of cost you £40 Luckily about £15, got a BMW 330 diesel, averaged 42.2mpg there & back

Forget to mention I bumped into Ian Beale (from eastenders) in this tiny little petrol station when I got back into Radlett!! Looks like a hobbit in real life. ps & he was driving a Nissan Micra that sounded like it had no oil in the engine!

Did you not like it or the **** owner?

This is no joke, I have never in my life come across a more rude arrogant salesman in my life. In fact he was the owner. I drove 110 miles to Nottingham & 110 miles back to Watford & I wasted over 4hours & fuel only to be insulted by someone. The company is calles "Aria Motors" on Hinckley Rd, Nottingham. He was saying stuff like what do you want to drive the car for are you just here for a spin you people are all the same dont excpect even a penny of the price you shouldnt have come if you think youl get anything of the price But the best was after 30 seconds of walking in Im very busy I sell 400 cars a month are you going to buy this or not I was so disgusted that I took the car 50 meters up the road turned around gave the keys back & told him he was an ignorant & rude & was absoloutely unhelpful from when we walked in & left back to Watford. In those 2 minutes I was in the car with the mechanic who worked there he confirmed what a complete wank£er he was & even kind of apologised on his behalf. He said he thinks its because his culture is so, where hewas from Iran. I have a friend from Iran & Afganistan & they may be upfront & direct but theyr not downright rude. I think if my family wasnt with me I would have kicked the FUc@in @*!# out of him. Anyway the car was absoloutely beautiful (st fully loaded ecru/carbon air dam/rear spoiler/xenons/brembos) & at a good price & would have bought it at near the asking price but not from somebody like that. Here it is: http://users.autoexposure.co.uk/classicdd.cfm?Account=AETA43259&VehicleID=AETV606699&Photo=http://users.autoexposure.co.uk/is/remotemanaged/AETA43259/AETV606699_1a.jpg http://www.ariamotorco.co.uk/

Yeah that was the guy he's from Morroco (i think his names Anwar or sumit). He put me on the phone to another salesman who talked even more crap than him! Not very polite when I mentioned JDM. Anyway thanks for the advice I will go to Mill Hill in the future.

Its quite obvious I would have to pay the 350z owner the diff!!:scare:

Automatic, only 38,000 miles, serviced 2 months ago, MOT till Sep 2006, 4 new tyres & new exhaust, Radio & 6cd changer, Immaculate inside & out, Perfect mechanicals- any test welcome, lady owner, electric everything, air conditioning, power steering, twin air bags, ABS, side impact bars, electric t/s sunroof, alloy wheels. Low road tax band & low insurance group, ideal for new & young drivers & 50 miles per gallon. (Strictly No Canvassers) (May px 350z Gt/St) £3,380 ricky@hindeshotel.com Tel: 07961 309 206 (Ricky)

I went to test drive a 350z in Watford Nissan last month, they got back to me today about purchasing one. I said the current UK ones are a bit expensive & I have been considering a JDM saving myself approx £4,000. Well he tried saying they dont come with brembos & xenons etc but I corrected him that there are many imports available with all these bits. (dont mess Iv been reading up & am a 350z forum member!!) Anyway two points he raised which I do not know the answer to: 1) He said due to smaller engine breather pipes (though I thought it was mainly the radiator difference) in the JDM, it sounds like a quote" xr3i" & not like a 350z should. I have not heard of there being this sound difference? 2) He said that the JDM has traction control but not ESP (stability control) which the UK ones do have. If this is so what if any differences will a lack of ESP make to a JDM car. (This is I suppose is also affected by factors such as stiffer suspension in JDM cars)?

The latest hollywood car flick comming out this week which will most probably be quite successful & has all the villans driving tricked out 350zs, doing all kind of stunts etc. This will obviously increase the popularity, awareness & hype surrounding the car. But do you think this will cause increase demand in the second hand market & therefore increasing used prices?

Sorry for asking what may be an obvious qu but: Do the Japanese imports have Traction Control?

Fully agree with your points above. That is one of the reasons I am now hoping to buy a 350z. It makes more sense for me financially & also IMO looks better than the current E46 M3.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_WARN0Jt34&search=m3%20vs%20350z http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozvR3UFbkLA&search=m3%20vs%20350z

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/58257/350z_tt_vs_evo_vlll/

I have the Tom Tom 1. It is one of the latest ones with the fastest processers; smallest & cheapest in Tom Tom range. Iv even added all Speed camera updates in europe, amazing!

Hi there, I am a hoping to get a z soon, but in the meanwhile this may help. I have a BMW 330d in Steel metalic grey which is quite similar to zed GM grey. I recently fitted an Alpina front spoiler/bluetooth ariel & rear M3 lip spoiler. I painted the rear lip spoiler myself with BMW OEM paint & it came out perfect colour match. Only diff is not as much shine due to laquer. I got a Chipsaway guy to spray the front Alpina spoiler & ariel. After spending hours & hours he was not able to match the existing Steel Grey car colour. The spoiler is a bit lighter & even a slightly diff shade. He did suggest adding a bit more dark to the mix but I did'nt bother. Enough time wasted! My advice would be to take it to a pro bodyshop that is known to be good & get the whole bonnet resprayed. I will be taking mine soon once I get a few more stone chips etc. Goodluck

What I really enjoy about motoring is the sesation you get once you get into a car & start driving. Its not so important to me about prestige brands etc, its how the car makes you feel when your behind the wheel. The 350z is an exhilirating car to drive & yes I suppose so is a BMW M3. But I compare them on the feeling both cars give (aesthetics of the car also). I'm not concerned with fuel economy, luggage space, 2 seater etc as I have a 4door saloon for the wife & family so I suppose its easier for me to decide what to buy. Though there is no denying that I can buy a 3 year old 350z import at £8k to £9k less than a same year M3 & that is a fact which I do have to consider, not being made of flippn money as my wife will no doubt remind me when it comes to buying a car!

Hi, I am a new member & thinking about the prospect of buying a used 350z in the near future. I have done some research & am quite happy to buy a UK landed import. I know what the differnces are would try to find one with some UK style upgrades e.g. maybe 18" wheels or Brembos or Xenons. I am happy with the fact that I may not get the exact spec I want being used & JDM but if I am saving the initial cost price of approx £4k to £6k I am happy! I can also shop around for Insurance & am not concerned with warranties & servicing-labour costs. What I dont know is how easy is it get JDM parts for servicing & repairs e.g oil filter; engine bits; ancillaries; etc. I think parts like brakes; springs;shocks;exhausts etc can be replaced for aftermarket ones (Uk supplied) or even UK spec ones when they need changing. But what parts of the car are there that you cannot buy UK spec or aftermarket (Uk supplied). Are there items that you have to source from Japan e.g or is it very straight forward to buy either UK spec or e.g Brembo /Nismo /Eibach /Greedy from Uk suppliers?

Sure Kev I know what you mean its not really a true light weight chuckable car like e.g an Elise but it just felt very nimble & easy to handle; made me feel like I was better driver than I may actually be! But I suppose jumping out of a heavier diesel 4 door saloon may have added to that sensation. ps thanks for the welcome everyone:D

Hi everyone. I'm Ricky live in Herts work in Harrow. 29 yrs old & have to say am a BMW fan ! I currently drive a BMW 330d & a memeber of bmwcarclubmagazine forum under the same handle. I have been reading in Evo magazine over the last couple of years how amazing the 350z is & I do like the look of it. (I myself was a fan of the old Datsun 240z, there was a chap on my street when I was a kid who was restoring a beautiful red one). After reading how in the 2005 Evo car of the year it came a close second behind a BMW M3 which was £15k more I was intrigued. Well yesterday I went for a test drive at my local Nissan dealership & was unexpectedly amazed! It felt like a proper lightweight, chuckable, true sports car with a muscle car engine/exhaust note. It reminded me of my old TVR Chimaera with its short throw, precise gearchange & slightly stiff clutch with its short bitting point. It was a point & squirt kind of feel with amazing chasis balance & acceleration, not to mention a lovely sounding exhaust. This now has me rethinking what my next used car buy will be!